Haier revealed two Chromebooks at the show, which we had not expected; the category still has to take off in Europe, although it is growing rapidly in the USA. The announcement was reinforced by Haier which said that it was ‘gathering feedback’ for a launch in the region.
Both new units are 11.6″: the HR-116E and HR-116R. Internally they are identical, with 1280 x 720 resolution; a 1.8GHz quad-core processor from Rockchip; 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, as well as an HDMI port and micro-SD slot. The HR-116R is slightly larger (2.4cm thick and weighing 1.25kg, compared to 2.1cm and 1.15kg). The HR-116E, however, is spill-resistant and can survive a 0.7m fall; it also has a carrying handle.
Haier will begin to sell the new Chromebooks in Europe this October, for €170.
A detachable tablet, the 10.1″ Haierpad 103, will be available in September for €250. It has high resolution (1920 x 1200), an IPS panel and quad-core 1.8GHz Intel Atom processor running Android 5.0. A fine-point stylus is supplied with the unit. Micro-HDMI, micro-USB and USB 2.0 ports are featured, with an 8,000mAh battery and 32GB of storage.
Two Windows 10 tablets were also shown off, with one (Haierpad W1015A) available now and the other (Haierpad W1165A) set to be launched this month. These models are 10.1″ and 11.6″, respectively, with 1.8GHz quad-core processors and 2GB of RAM. They can connect to other devices through micro-HDMI, micro-USB or Bluetooth. 32GB of storage is expandable through micro-USB. A detachable keyboard adds two full-size USB ports. Prices are €210 (W1015A) and €295 (W1165A).
The last tablet is a small Windows 10 model called the Haierpad W700. Featuring a Bay Trail-T processor from Intel (1.8GHz quad-core), the unit is thin (8.8mm) and light (220g). Micro-HDMI and micro-USB ports are featured, as well as a micro-SD reader and 2,600mAh battery. Haier will launch the product in October, for €85.
Haier’s final product was a watch, although not a smartwatch; the E-Zy SOS Watch has a passive LCD display and cannot download apps. It is intended for children and elderly people (and extremely paranoid parents – TA). The wearable functions like a normal watch for the wearer, with one exception: a large red button that will call up to three emergency numbers. There are no speakers, but sounds will be relayed through a microphone.
The SOS Watch can be used with a smartphone app, with four functions: locating (using GPS to find out where the wearer is); monitoring (remotely activating the watch’s microphone); tracking (viewing past movements) and alerting (if the wearer moves out of a pre-defined area).
Haier will begin selling the SOS Watch at the end of November, for €85.
All prices are ex VAT.
